Lifeline
by Davinia
Summary: When the SR3-Aralia crash lands on an unknown planet, a passing ISRT is Yugi's only lifeline and hope for survival. For Yami, this is the first human voice he has heard in over four years and he is uncertain whether Yugi is real or a figment of his imagination, possibly someone he created to help him cope with the emptiness of space.
1. The Aralia

**Disclaimer:**

I don't own Yugioh or make any profit.

 **A/N:** Welcome to my first attempt at keeping things PG.

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o.o.0.0.O.0.0.o.o

Lifeline

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A timer beeped and Yami kicked himself away from the desk, his chair moving him gracefully across the room. The food processor was on the far wall and it was dinner time. He had the system memorized, his routine so consistent he no longer needed the alarms. It had been, what – three years now? Four? He did not like thinking about it too much, but everyday was essentially the same thing.

Get up, check the data, write a report. Check the data again, maybe launch a probe - he had oodles of time to do whatever he pleased in-between. After finishing the third report he would sleep and start the cycle over. Every 168 hours he would send a data packet back to Earth, a compilation of all his findings, and that was his job in a nut shell. Nine years and he would have a large enough pension to situate himself for life.

Of course, on Earth, nearly 300 years would have passed in that same time. That was the problem with interstellar travel and why his job was compensated so well. All his family would be dead by the time he returned – if he returned. These recon missions were not always successful. And, for a bigger bonus, Yami had chosen this one because someone else had already gone missing. It had happened around the time 'star-madness' was said to kick in. The boredom of living in isolation, stuck in a seven-by-four-meter room for years on-end. It caused its own variety of 'cabin-fever'. One that drove pilots mad and often resulted in crashed ships.

Yami suspected this was the case for the girl that had gone before him. He had looked up her bio and saw nothing abnormal in her final data transmissions. Her academy results were also spotless, but the assessments were easy enough to bluff through. They could not filter for this phenomenon and he was pretty confident he would be fine. He had packed over ten years worth of games and books to keep himself occupied and mentally sound. But even so, he rarely felt like playing them any more. Maybe he was on the verge. Loosing track of time was probably his first error.

The girl who disappeared had been a bright-eyed brunette with a grand future ahead of her. She had been born into a farming family on Titan, joined the military early, and created quite the record for herself. She could have chosen a vastly different career, but her family was poor and scheduled to receive part of her pension. It was the opposite for Yami; she did it for her family, while he did it to get away from his.

He yawned, picking at the lid before kicking off the wall and rolling back over to his desk. Lots of people would be tried of rehydrated food by now, but ramen was one of his favourites. Still, he did not feel like eating.

He adjusted his headset and stretched, clicking through various wave lengths, like he always did. Then, something strange picked up on the radio. He flittered for the frequency. A voice became clear.

"Hello? Is anyone getting this? Hello?"

It was the first voice he had heard in… years.

He had almost forgotten how beautiful it could sound.

Personally, he had refused to get in the habit of talking to himself. His training recommended it, but too many used the recordings to question the sanity of pilots when they returned to Earth. For that reason, he had removed and stashed the microphone somewhere. He did not want to become another statistic.

He pushed over the mountain of empty food containers, knocking it to the floor. He had papers everywhere and had to excavate to find the where he had left the case. He fetched it, took out the microphone, and clipped it in place before bringing the tech back online.

He cleared his throat and tested his voice before hitting the PTT and transmitting out. "This is ISRT- 251139, I hear you."

"Oh my god!" The relief was palpable. "My-My name is Yugi Mutou, of the Aralia. We crash landed, I-I don't exactly know … I just woke up in the cryo bay, maybe three hours ago? Everyone is dead or still in cryo. I don't know what's happening, but I can't reach anyone else. C-can you send help?" He sounded on the verge of tears.

"Hold on Yugi, I need to try and narrow in on where you are." It was actually more complicated than Yami let on. "Do you have any atmo-readings or access to the ship's last positioning data?"

"Oh, you're still there. No, all the power is out. The engine has ruptured and is shedding radiation like crazy, I can't get any where near the backup battery. All I have is the emergency radio from the bio-lab and my omni-tool. I'll keep searching for supplies."

Yami clicked his tongue in agitation. His entire job consisted of scanning planets for their potential hospitability and resources. Yugi was probably with a team, sent to investigate something Yami had found years ago. If that was true, the planet should be in Yami's files - somewhere. There was almost too many to count. But he had to work quickly, before his craft moved out of range. For Yugi's sake, he needed to get the location into his next report or else any survivors of the Aralia would be stranded. Potentially for longer than Yugi's natural life span allowed.

Crying came over the line.

"Yugi?"

"Oh? You're still there? I thought you were gone. I thought-"

Shit.

"Yugi. How long between now and the last time I spoke?"

"You're back again! Um, two hours. Maybe?"

Double shit. It may have only been seconds for him, but time was passing much faster for Yugi. Yami rose from his desk and did something he never thought he would; he powered down the engines and went derelict.

"Yugi can you hear me?"

"Yes! Yes, I can!"

"How much time?"

"Ten minutes?"

"Okay."

"Oh, that was only a small delay. Di-did you land?"

"No, I'm not near anything. But if this works, I will keep the engines off until I know someone's coming for you."

"Oh my god, thank you! Wait, oh I'm sorry, I never asked your name?"

"It's Yami."

"Thank you, Yami. Thank you so much."

He felt his cheeks flush at the warm praise. It was so nice to hear another person's voice.

"Oh, um, I looked around a bit when you didn't call back. There's black soil outside, volcanic not chernozem. The ship is split apart. I could not find any food beyond a bag of chips someone hid in the security office. Most people were either ejected during the crash, or made it to the escape pods. I don't know which. I'm guessing this is one of the smaller pieces. The bridge likely held together and there could be other survivors. Have you heard from anyone else?"

Yami bit his lip. He did not want Yugi to lose hope or panic. "You're the first to call in, but if I can narrow-in on your signal, I might be able to tell if anyone else is broadcasting from a separate network. The ship's communication tower must still have power if you are able to transmit-"

"That's because I'm using the back-up batteries in the empty cryopods to keep the lab's power running. It gets very cold at night."

"It has already been a day?"

"It takes about sixteen hours for the planet to rotate."

"And it's a planet, not a moon?"

"I don't know. It could be on either. I have mostly stayed on the ship, this piece of it anyway..."

"Well, try to find out for me and I will dig through the records. You are breathing so that puts you within a goldilocks range for habitability. What was the Aralia's mission?"

"We are a research vessel, on our way to Asclepius-7. I was supposed to be in cryo until we arrived, but was woken early - during the crash, I think. My father, Solomon Mutou, was our captain, and Arthur Hawkins, his best friend, was our lead bio-engineer. I wish I could wake the others, but I'd have to sacrifice a lot of power and… I really don't want to lose contact with you."

Yami smiled, attempting to sound reassuring, "I won't leave you."

"Thank you…" Yugi's voice shook. "You said your name was Yami, right? As in, the, Yami Sennen?"

That was odd.

"Yes?" He paused and sat up from scanning the backlogs on his terminal. "How do you know me?"

Yugi had a nervous laugh. "Oh, um, lots of people do. Your father is famous, that makes you - 'The legendary run away'."

Yami frowned. He was trying to get away from his past. "People aren't serious calling me that, are they?"

"The news papers did, right after you left… Sorry, I know its weird, but I was curious after I noticed you like to hide messages in your reports. The repeated syntax, or, sometimes using the first word in a sentence. It has been fun, solving your riddles." Yugi's voice was warm and full of mirth. "The Aralia is actually using your data, so I've seen a lot of your work. I looked up some things about you, but I never expected... Well, I'm glad its you. I feel like I'm calling a friend."

Yami's surprise was candid, "You noticed my riddles?" He was genuinely impressed. "You should tell me about yourself then, otherwise its a bit one-sided."

Yami muted his mic and coughed. He needed water, his throat was not used to this kind of strain anymore. He also needed Yugi to keep talking. It would help the computer track the signal while Yami skimmed through the old data.

There was only 37 hours left before the next transmission fired to Earth. Yugi's location would need to be attached to the packet and linked with the emergency broadcast. If Yami planned it that way, anyone in the area could pick-up on the signal and expedite a rescue. Otherwise, Yugi might be stuck for decades.

He would send it manually, but for power reasons, the large broadcasts were on a fixed schedule. If he was to complete the journey and not trap himself in space, to die hungry and alone, he could only sit derelict for a week before he would have to leave. If he pushed beyond that, he would put himself at risk of losing power before reaching Sigma-12. Every minute was precious in interstellar space.

But this also meant his next broadcast would arrive "early" - about 10 years before it was expected. This would flag it in the system and draw attention. Yugi would get a rescue, but if Yami had to start moving again, at least 25 years may pass on Earth before it was received. That meant it had to be on this transmission.

He clicked his mic back on and returned to his desk. "So, if you were on Earth for the tournament, how old are you now?"

"Nineteen. I have been in cryo for… forty years? You should have seen me flop around when I first woke up – uh, strike that, no should ever... Please ignore what you heard."

Yami chuckled, it sounded much deeper than he remembered his laugh being. "Did you know I've never been in cyro?"

"Really? Well, I guess you were 17 when you left... Oh no... I sound like a stalker, don't I?"

Yami grinned, he rarely smiled showing teeth, but no one was around to see. "I prefer your 'friend' theory. How does the old saying go? 'A stranger is a friend you haven't met yet' - something like that?"

"You're sweet. Thanks for not making this weird." Yugi grew quiet. "You know, you are always frowning in your photos. It's nice to hear you laugh. Truth be told, I'm actually really scared."

"That's normal."

Yami froze at his own nonchalant tone. Would it be hurtful to talk like that? He swallowed, trying to remember what it felt like to be comforted. His mother called him callous and unfeeling the day he left. It was hard to know if he was already broken, or if this lack of empathy was new. Either way, he tried to sound sincere, "You don't need to be scared. The computer has tracked you to a star cluster and there are only three goldilocks in that zone. It's enough to launch a rescue, but if you can help me narrow it down, I can send them an exact location."

"Really?" Yugi's voice was so hopeful, it pulled on his heart-strings. Maybe he wasn't dead inside after-all. "I...Yeah, of course. Whatever you need. Thank you, Yami."

"No need to thank me yet, we need to get you safe first."

"Heh, not even a little praise?"

"None required."

Yugi snorted and it picked up on the radio. He must have turned the mic on instead of clicking the PTT. It would drain the power faster, but they were talking consistently.

Still, it concerned Yami. He was always conscientious about resource consumption.

"How many cryopods are you able to syphon power from? You said you were using the shields because it's cold."

"Oh? Um, let me see." The line went quiet as Yugi presumably started counting. "There are fourteen empty pods, including the one I came from."

"And how many are occupied?"

"We had 60 on board, but some sheered off during the crash."

"You were very lucky."

"I know…"

"Don't feel guilty."

"But-"

"Don't."

Yugi sighed.

"If there are any cracked pods you may as well count them along with the 14. Over the next hour you should watch and let me know how quickly that shield eats through the battery. I don't expect one will get you through the night."

Another of Yami's alarms went off, letting him know it was time for his third report. The fact that he wasn't moving meant that the data would become useless after he published this one. He could probably stop writing them for a while.

"What was that sound? Are you okay?"

He smiled at Yugi's concern. "Just the computer letting me know a report is due."

"Oh? Sorry, I'm keeping you. I'll turn the radio off and message again when I can answer your question about the power."

"No! Uh... Lets keep talking- at least for the hour. You might fall asleep otherwise."

Smooth Yami. Real smooth. That did not sound desperate at all.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah… You said earlier that you're an anthropologist? How did someone with your training end up on the Aralia?"

A spritely tone hummed against his ear. "Hmm, well, if you are interested, my PhD is focused on spaceflight and how humans cope. I am mostly interested in how community forms during long travel, but if you are willing to be interviewed, I would love to add an izzert to my research."

Yami cringed, choking back a growl of disapproval. "Please don't try to analyze me."

Yugi laughed, clearly anticipating the response like the punchline of a joke. "That's not what anthropologists do. I'm not a shrink. I'd just ask questions. Small things, like, 'what is your daily routine', 'what do you find tedious' – all easy things that have simple answers and would only be valuable in their original context. It might be used in later ethnographies, to contrast or support other research, but that would not be my intention." His tone alighted, "I wouldn't even need to include your name."

Yami's voice turned playful as well. "Why Yugi, I am beginning to suspect you will include me no matter what I say."

"Ack! There are ethics, Yami." Yugi did not sound as offended as he pretended. "I'm sworn, never, to betray the trust of any of my informants. Even if my entire PhD rests on your testimonial, you can revoke consent at any time. But I am interested in your life. Seven years it a long time to be alone."

"I'm in it for nine."

"What!? How is that legal? Why would you- oh, please tell me you will let me interview you."

Yami sighed. It was louder than he expected.

Yugi heard. His excitement dipped.

"I'm sorry Yami. It was cruel to ask. I know the recon teams have a hard life. It was insensitiv-"

"It's fine," Yami spat the words. He did not mean it aggressively.

Yugi was quiet on the other end.

A silence slipped between them.

Yami stood from his desk and paced around. He could not hear static from the other end so Yugi must have turned off the mic. He was annoyed, but hated the silence more. His tiny world, this small box, felt suddenly smaller.

"Yugi?"

"I'm sorry…" He could hear the nearness of tears through Yugi's watery tone. "Please don't leave me…"

"I won't."

There was a sniffle, and intermittent shuffling. Yugi must have been holding the radio to his chest and accidentally hitting the PTT, because not everything Yami said seemed to go through.

Yami's sleep alarm went off. He was trained and his body felt tired at the tone.

Yugi's weak voice returned. "What was that?"

"It is easy to lose track of time. The recon teams have strict alarms that keep our bodies on a circadian rhythm. I am a pavlovian dog, Yugi. I feel like I am going to pass out."

"I did not know that was a technique they used. But - you should go to bed then. I've been selfish to occupy your time like this."

"No, I want to talk. Yours is the first voice I've heard in" – how long was it now? – "a long time."

There was some strength returning to Yugi's voice. "There is only ten minutes left on the timer. Can a space puppy hold out that long?"

Yami snorted. His body went through the motions of systematically powering down all the non-essential systems. He was already in bed before he realised Yugi had stopped talking.

He started to answer but yawned.

Yugi snickered.

"Don't laugh, its hard to fight it."

"Then don't, I'll be fine. I can monitor the shields."

Yami hummed against the microphone. In his head, he was still answering questions.


	2. Planet-252179

A/N: Thank you to everyone for giving this story a chance :)

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o.o.0.0.O.0.0.o.o

Chapter 2

 **Planet - 252179**

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The alarm chimed and Yami sat up reflexively. His neck was sore and he was still wearing his headset, which was weird.

It took him a moment.

"Yugi!"

He went to click on the mic, only to realise it already was. Nothing came through from the other end. Yami tried again, hoping not to sound panicked, "Yugi? Yugi, are you there?"

The silence was torture. He held himself tightly and rocked a bit as the minutes passed.

Was it a dream, had he made Yugi up – created himself a friend? It would explain how Yugi knew so much about him…

Oh no… He really was losing his mind.

There was not even static on the other end.

Another alarm sounded. It was time to shower. He released his knees and stood up without hesitation. The compulsion was unnerving and it unsettled him even as he obeyed it. He left the headset on the bed and stripped out of his clothes, tossing the laundry into the clean cycle. He set the timer for it, then stepped into the shower tube. Hopefully he would be able to ween himself off of this reliance once his travels were over.

The partition sealed and he stood over the drain before turning on the water. After washing up, he finished the rest of his morning routine. It was as programmed, and he had almost forgotten about Yugi until it came time to put the headset back on.

He had no other work to do while the ship sat derelict. And yet, only silence greeted his calls over the radio.

Maybe he was going crazy...

But, just to be certain, he waited.

If he did not hear from Yugi by the midday report, he would restart the engine.

It was humiliating... He had already included the Aralia's crash in his report. There was still 28 hours to change it, but the system would show he had killed the engines. And, worst of all, there existed a record of him talking to himself.

He sat at his desk in silence, listening.

He stared at nothing, his mind blanking until the breakfast alarm went off. He had not consumed the ramen from last night and now it sat on his desk, cold. He did not bother reheating it, but pouted and poked at it. It gave him something else to think about.

"Yami? Are you awake?"

Noodles went flying.

He fumbled the container and choked down a mouthful, nearly falling out of his chair in the panic to flip the mic back on.

He recovered. "Yugi! You're okay!"

"Sorry! Guess I worried you. I had to turn off the radio for a while."

That did not sound good.

"Why? What happened? Are you loosing too much power?"

His favourite laugh came over the radio. That shy, nervous little hum. "You were snoring… It was cute at first but, well, then it got weird."

His face went slack and jaw fell open. It was like a silent scream. Yami was mortified.

"Yami?"

He choked on air.

There were no words.

None.

What could he possibly say? Should he apologize? How bad was it that Yugi needed radio silence?

Yugi roared with laughter.

Every time he tried to calm down and form words, whatever Yugi was trying to say made him laugh again. After about five minutes, he finally got it under control. "It was like… It was…. Oh Yami, I promise I will take this to my grave, but, I love it. You are so funny and I could not stop laughing last night. I'm sorry, I know it's mean- Heh-heh-heh… Oh, give me a minute."

He breathed deeply into the radio. "Okay, so, ahem. I wanted to tell you, I have already drained seven pods. But - good news, I have a few instruments working in the bio-lab and I now have the atmospheric data you asked for. I'm confident that it is a planet, roughly the size of mars and-"

"I know where you are now." Yami pulled down the screen and started adjusting his report for planet-1311819.

"You do? So, using that much energy…" he sounded frustrated. "Okay, good. Good. I will shut it all down then. This is good. It was worth it…" His self-reassurance quickly fell away, the taste of his own lie upsetting him. Yami was too quiet on the other end. "Did you receive any word? Has anyone contacted you?"

"Yami?"

He flinched hearing his name, slowly snapping out of it. "Sorry, I was stuck in my own headspace. Does 'Yugi' have one 'u' or two?"

Yugi sighed in agitation. "I don't care, people spell it wrong all the time."

"Well its going to only get one then," Yami bit back. He frowned. "Are you mad at me?"

"No, why would… It's nothing. I'm just…worried, about everyone else. My dad is still out there. My friends…" Yugi's voice drifted off. "I want to know what happened."

Yami felt guilty. "Can you forgive me? You wanted to know what life as an ISRT was like, well, this is the pinnacle of it."

Yugi sounded confused, Yami was only half-focusing again. "What is? What do you mean?"

"Renaming things. Making stupid jokes for my own amusement…"

Shoot. Was it too late to retract his statement? Yugi was quiet and patiently waiting. It seemed like it was. "I… I just renamed the planet-252179… It's stupid, but it made me laugh."

"Twenty-five… twenty-one… seven - you renamed it Yugi…"

Yami snorted at his own joke. "I did."

"I know you can't see me shaking my head, but, please, imagine it."

Yami's laughter spilled over and Yugi's joined him, even if he was reluctant. Yami was so embarrassed.

"You are lucky I like you Sennen, or this recording I have of you snoring would be all over the internet."

"Not if you don't get rescued."

"You wouldn't!"

"I wouldn't."

Yugi hummed over the intercom. "I have already said it, but I'll say it again - I'm glad it's you. I really needed to laugh just now." He sighed, his voice trembling. "I was sick to my stomach all night. I'm so worried about my dad. Has there been anything? I can't believe I'm the only one that made it."

Yami chewed the inside of his cheek. "I would need to change frequency, but I didn't want to leave you stranded. This morning… I was worried you weren't real - that I was losing my mind and talking to myself and-"

"Yami…"

"-I'm serious. Can you… Can I ask a favour?"

"Of course." Yugi's tone carried an edge of concern.

"Can you tell me something I don't know? Something I wouldn't know, because it happened after I left?"

There was a long silence before Yugi replied, his voice soft and dulcet, "Yami, I want to... I reeeally want to help you. But, there is nothing I could tell you, that you wouldn't be able to manipulate into thinking you had made it up. If I am not real, and the Aralia is a figment of your imagination, then everything is. But I promise it's not. I promise I am real. You need to trust me. I need you, and everyone still alive from the Aralia needs you too."

Yami shook his head, regretting that he had ever brought it up. Yugi was speaking to him as if he was about to jump off a tall building.

In ways, maybe he was.

"Oh! Um, how about this? Try telling me what I look like. Just imagine it, and I'll let you know if you get it right. Once I get rescued, I can transmit a photo and you can confirm it."

Yami drew in a slow breath. He thought of the girl that went missing. "Brown hair, blue eyes?"

"Wrong on both accounts."

"Blonde hair, brown eyes?" He sounded less confident in his answer this time.

"Nope. Violet eyes and black hair, dyed at the ends."

"Violet? That's unique." He actually did feel a little better. He never would have guessed violet.

"Mhm, kind of like yours. I don't know many people with red eyes."

"You really are stalking me, aren't you?"

"Tsk, you're the one naming planets after me."

"Touché…"

It was always so quiet when they both ran out of things to say. This one was slightly less uncomfortable.

"Yugi?"

"Mhmm?"

He really did not want to do this. But, he needed to be the brave one. He could not let Yugi pick up on his nervousness.

"The report is going to launch in less than twenty-six hours. In the meantime, I am going to change frequency and see if I can get a hold of anyone else. You should try to head out and find supplies. If you can, keep track of any areas that could be used as a landing zone, but don't let the wreckage out of your sight. You will want to get back before it gets too cold. I will check in on you when the sun goes down…You said it was on a sixteen-hour cycle? So… it will be down again in, four hours?"

"Roughly." Yugi's voice was crestfallen.

"Remember, you own this planet now. You can handle whatever is out there," Yami said, with as much charm as he could muster.

It seemed to work.

"Yea, well. Let's hope the natives are friendly." That made them both nervous.

"Hold on, let me recheck the reports. Sometimes if there is a high enough concentrate we can-"

"Don't worry about it. There was a stun-gun in the security office and I have a filter from the bio-lab. Other than my nerves, I'm ready to go."

There was that stupid silence again.

"Okay, please take the radio with you."

"I can't, I need to save the battery. I'm half way through the pods. I have maybe, two more nights, before I am out."

"You could always…" Yami shook his head. He already sensed Yugi's disappointment.

"No… They are alive. In fact, they have a better chance than I do of making it out of here."

"That's not true." How could Yugi even think that? Yami was in disbelief. "Yugi, help won't come right away. By the time this reaches Earth, unless someone is already in your star cluster, you will be stuck there - for at least a month, if not longer."

"The pod's reserves won't last more than a month…"

"No, they won't. So, it's a gamble, but you need to think on it, and take it seriously. Right now, you could siphon enough energy to wake a few of them. But, as you said, you don't have any food. So, if you go out over the next few days and find the canteen, you could consider it. However, you need to keep warm at night. The energy you would waste reviving them-"

"Stop. Yami… Just stop."

"I can't. Not until you promise me."

"Promise you what?" His words were laced with anger.

"That you will put yourself first."

"I-"

"Please?"

The lunch alarm went off. He got up and walked over to the food processer, then stopped. "I won't eat until you eat."

"Yami don't…"

"I mean it. You are the guaranteed thing. Promise me you won't give up."

Yugi sighed, defeated. "I won't give up…"

"Good." Yami smiled with relief. "Now I can tell you that there are two other signals near you."

"What?!"

Now that sounded more like the Yugi he had met yesterday.

"I'm going to check it out and I will be back on this frequency in three hours. Don't keep me waiting?"

"Okay, yes! I'll set an alarm on the omni-tool."

"Good luck."

"You too."

Reluctantly Yami moved off of Yugi's frequency and started tuning in to the anomalies picked up by the large-range scanners. By the time he was seated back at his desk, he had already honed in on the first which was a distress beacon.

 _"This is Captain Solomon Mutou of the SR3-Aralia, seeking emergency aid. Please respond."_

Yami brought the recording software online and practiced a few times to get his tone right. Then he started the recording. "This is ISRT- 251139 responding. Captain Solomon Mutou, acknowledged. Long-range emergency broadcast imminent. Location, identified as planet-25-21-7-9."

He let it play a few times then lined it up. It was now set it to loop back between the delay on the original broadcast so that the two talked to each other. Even if they could not transmit, they would at least know that they had been heard.

The next step was to figure out the specific location. If he could get the computer to produce, even a quasi-accurate map, there would be a possibility of guiding Yugi to them. But, that assumed the beacon had not been launched or knocked clear of the ship. It was too dangerous to send Yugi any great distance without a guarantee of safety.

While the computer worked on that, he started tuning in on the second signal. He mumbled into the microphone a series of 'hello's, hoping, if the broadcaster heard, they would reply and he could use their voice to guide him manually into the frequency. But nothing came of it.

He switched back to the emergency broadcast and listened for any changes in the message. It was weird to hear his own voice, but there was nothing new.

He opened a modelling program and loaded his data on planet-252179 into it. An image of the planet, in its orbit, appeared above his desk. He moved it around, curious to see if there was a temperate zone Yugi could move to where the extreme cold would not be a problem. Perhaps near the north pole where the axis nearly faced the sun. 'North', of course, being relative in space and only orientated based on the current position of the model.

If Yugi could get there, it would be hot during the day and cool at night. He could survive outside in both conditions, provided there was enough food and water available. It had potential, but if there were any Earth-like organisms, they would thrive in these zones as well. That included dangerous micro-bacteria.

The computer beeped and he switched back to the emergency broadcast. It had changed.

 _This is Captain Solomon Mutou of the SR3-Aralia. Acknowledged ISRT "Yami". Gratitude. Confirmed location: "Yugi"._

It was as Yami thought, their signal was scripted. But it was not impossible to communicate if someone knew how to tweak the programming. The beacons were always very basic so they could operate no matter what terrain they landed on, for years if they had to. He thought of how he wanted to phrase his response, knowing the survivors would need his words to formulate the reply.

"This is ISRT-251139. Overwatch, Planet-252179. Supply requisition acknowledged. Recommend coordinates 48 N, 123 W, linking model. Caution. New coordinates requested."

He set the new information on loop. If they had been able to change the message, they must be near the beacon. Yami had Yugi's location narrowed within 10 degrees of error, but on a planet-wide scale that would not be useful. When on foot, the difference translated to about 100 kilometers of error on either side. He could accidentally mislead Yugi and guide him in the wrong direction, and it would take days of travel before Yami would even notice. It was best to keep Yugi where he was until it was no longer safe.

He listened again to the emergency broadcast, but it hadn't changed.

The tone for dinner went off. His stomach growled. There were still noodles all over the floor, but he would worry about that later.

Yugi would need to head back now. And, if the beacon was not secured, the survivors would also need to seek shelter. That meant it was unlikely he would hear from them again tonight.

He switched over to his report and updated it with new data from the emergency broadcast. It was now ready to submit and the countdown to firing began. It would do so automatically while he slept.

Finally, he had his chance to switch back to Yugi's frequency.

"This is ISRT-251139 acknow" - He caught himself still talking to the robot - "Yugi? Are you back?"

No response. Only the deafening silence.

He tapped the table impatiently. Maybe now was a good time for cleaning. It had been a long time since he had, and, it was a task that could keep his mind busy while he waited.

But, when all was said and done, Yugi never came back on the channel. The alarm for sleep went off and Yami fought it as long as he could. He ended up asleep on the floor.


	3. Broken Promises

A/N: All of you have been so kind, thank you for the feedback! :D

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o.o.0.0.O.0.0.o.o

Chapter 3

 **Broken Promises**

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He stirred but his morning alarm had not gone off yet. It was probably the worst sleep he had in a long time.

Yami shifted again, his body stiff and reluctant to obey. He blinked his eyes, seeing nothing in the dark room. Slowly he managed to pull himself upright, using the light of his omni-tool to guide himself as he walked over to the bed. He yawned, struggling to remember why he had been on the floor in the first place. The covers were already pulled to the side so he let his body drop and fall sideways into the nest of pillows. He covered himself and drew a pillow close, hugging it to his chest and burying his face into it as sleep set in. He was nearly out when Yugi's voice came over the intercom.

It jolted him awake. In quick succession he accessed the omnitool's interface and overrode the volume controls to divert sound back to the headset. He had forgotten he had maxed it out. But now he knew his plan had worked. He could still hear Yugi's voice in the room, only now it was muffled.

Yami blinked, blinded by the holographic interface that projected over his left arm from the band around his wrist. He closed his eyes, and with a trained familiarity, keyed in the controls for the flashlight. Once again a diffusion of muted light filled the cramped space and he squeezed his eyes open. He was careful, more cautious this time, about sheltering them from the sharp sting. He glanced around, picking out familiar objects. The one thing out of place was the headset on the floor.

It was near, but not near enough. He groaned in reluctance.

During his proverbial 'night' the room was intentionally cooled to help him sleep.

He sacrificed a leg, stretching out with his toes to pull the headset closer. When it was within reach he tucked himself back into the blankets, and slunk over the side - flopping like an amoeba and absorbing the headset into his fortress of warmth. He curled up and got comfortable again, adjusting the volume before putting it on. Yugi was repeating his name over and over, using a different tone each time. It was amusing, and Yami would have told him so, if it was not for the feverish pacing that echoed in the background.

Whatever Yugi was up to, his steps were frantic.

"Yugi?"

"Finally! Yami, where have you been?" Yugi sounded more than little distressed, his words sharply delivered, "I feel like I have been trying to reach you for hours. I need you to help me."

It was hard to know if Yugi was actually upset with him or if the anger was a symptom of his panic. Either way, hostility nipped and laced each word.

Yami yawned, trying twice to answer, but his head kept lolling involuntarily and drooping. "I'm sorry Yugi. The sound, and… I… I fell asleep."

"No, no, please! I can't do this without you. I need you. Wake up! Please? Yami?" It was a battle to make sense of what Yugi was trying to tell him. "…pretty please?"

"Okay..." His voice sounded dry and not like his own. Damn it, he could barely think straight. He needed water – or coffee. Preferably coffee, but he only had eight packs left to get him through the rest of the journey. He had indulged too much, too quickly, and diminished his supplies. Although - if he was going to hold any kind of conversation, now would be a good time to spoil himself.

Yami drew a sharp breath and forced himself to open his eyes wider. He needed to turn on all the lights. The thought drew out a low growl of displeasure. Still, he threw everything aside before the impulse to do so could pass. It had to be done. If he had not, he would be tempted to sleep again. But now he was cold...

At least Yugi could not see him pout. His body demanded sleep which made throwing a childish fit feel justified; and yet, defiantly, he did the mature thing and sat up. He inhaled slowly through his nose. The air made him shiver but he moved quickly, hobbling across the chilled tiles to snap on the overhead lights.

Yugi was silent on the other end; his boots were not. Urgency carried in each quick stride.

"I'm awake now, go ahead Yugi. I'm listening."

The dam of restrained emotion burst. "I found Honda. He's been out there for two days, maybe more. He's got frostbite everywhere, lesions… I-I don't know what I am doing. It was hard enough dragging him back here…" It sounded like Yugi was struggling to breathe.

"I'll guide you, take a breath," Yami said, setting the kettle to warm then walking to his desk.

He had learned a long time ago the value of a busy mind. Yugi could not be allowed to think too deeply about what he had to do. It had to be a wound, not person; a body, not a "Honda". If Yugi did not disassociate, he would fail to act appropriately. He had to keep Yugi focused on small tasks. Keep his mind occupied with something to do. There could be no time to stop. No time to think. If there was, Yugi might steep himself in dark places. It was like star-madness, and once it broke a person, it was nearly impossible to repair. "Do you have access to warm water?"

"I can boil some."

He could hear Yugi rummaging through drawers and clinking various glassware until a tap turned on.

"Don't waste any more than you need. Just enough for a small tub."

Something smashed and Yugi cursed.

"Are you alright?"

"I'm fine. I - cut myself. Damn it… I'm so tired. I haven't slept yet… I did not find food, and - my hands - I didn't have gloves."

Yami readjusted in his seat, not letting himself slouch or get comfortable. "You need to take care of your own injuries first."

"But Honda needs-"

"No. You need to listen." Yami paused to make sure Yugi would not protest. "Remember your first-aid and flight-safety demos? 'Before you help others, you must help yourself' - its basic 101. Tell me what your injuries are, then I will talk you through how to treat Honda."

Yugi was silent.

This would be a lot easier if Yami could be ground side to help, but the ISRTs could only space-dock. "I already have documents loaded so, please, be satisfied knowing that you have access to the bio-lab and won't need to, and I quote, 'find a sharp rock'."

Yugi snapped at him. "Fine."

It clearly wasn't, but Yugi continued. "It's, mild, frostbite. A little blue? I-I just need to warm up."

"And your feet?"

"Fine, they're fine. Don't worry."

"Stop saying 'fine', Yugi." Yami did not disguise his annoyance. "You can not walk on them if there is even the slightest… You don't want to lose your feet."

Yugi hissed and whined with impatience. "I have a couple of those little, exothermic, hot-packs in my boots, that'll be fine – uh, good enough."

Yami tapped his desk. "And how bad is the cut?"

"Its" – Yugi exhaled loudly – "It's okay. It's not very deep. I knocked over a beaker and stupidly tried to catch it."

Yami could hear him pushing the glass shards around.

"You better not be lying to me Yugi Mutou, or I'm telling your dad."

He smiled as Yugi gasped.

"He's alive! You found him? Oh, thank the stars… Yami, what did he say?"

Despite Yugi's excitement, there was not much Yami could offer. He tried his best to be comforting, still smiling and feeling gratified in the afterglow of Yugi's elation. "It was an emergency beacon, a pre-recorded one. The voice was Solomon Mutou, but anyone could be manipulating it to speak with me. They know that you are here and that help is coming. At the very least, it confirms you are not alone."

Yugi was quiet and it made Yami's skin crawl. After the pass of thirty seconds he felt compelled to fill the empty air. "I think they may have found shelter away from the beacon. There are no new messages, but, if you ask me, there is a high probability that the beacon is either near the bridge itself or the survivors have transport."

"Transport? It could be the BLS!"

Yami shook his head. "I don't know what that is."

Yugi snickered. "You aren't the only one that enjoys naming things."

Yami let the silence sit, biting his lip until Yugi continued. "My dad and I name all our gadgets together. The BLS was named after my dad's favourite duel monster card. It's actually a modified M35, but the gun has been removed and the interior was stripped so it could ferry up to seven passengers. It, uh… It's a joke because the Black Luster Soldier is difficult to summon and, quite frankly, the BLS has a hard time getting started, but when she does" - He chuckled at some far-off memory.

"I take it you were driving?"

"Shut up!" Yugi laughed. It was so rich Yami lost sight of what he was supposed to be doing.

"At any rate, the bleeding has stopped and I have it wrapped now. I think the room is finally starting to warm up. I had to use several Bunsen burners since the room's climate control would drain the power too quickly. I should have been back sooner to seal the doors and keep the day-time heat in, but it is a little too late to worry about that now."

"It was a good solution considering what you have to work with. It did not occur to me before, but we can use materials in the bio-lab and I will talk you through some thermochemistry. We can make more hot-packs for Honda and it will spare your water reserves. You can use what you've poured already for cleaning, but we really should start monitoring that too.

"Oh, water won't be a problem. I'm actually near a lake. I took some samples to run through the machine, but I am certain Honda has ingested it since that is where I found him."

"I am glad you took samples because he could now be a bio-hazard as well."

"It's too late to worry about that, I already did CPR. If he has something, I have it too."

Yami clicked his tongue. He didn't like that. "Was it necessary?"

"As I said, I found him in the lake. I think he was trying to get my attention and fell in. He wasn't breathing when I pulled him out, but he is now." Yugi sighed at the silence. "Let's not worry about it. I will run the samples and we can deal with that hurdle when we get there. So, what is the first step? Do I just, heat him up?"

"Are you certain you are ready?" Yami opened a file on his computer and linked it to his headset.

"Yeah… As ready as I will ever be. Let's get it over with."

He could hear trepidation and nervousness in Yugi's tone. So he cued the music - and it was worth it, if only to hear Yugi laugh again.

"Really? 'Mission Impossible'? Sir, you do me such disrespect – Hey! I didn't say turn it off!" Yami pressed play again. "You know, I've heard this song so many times, but I have never actually watched the movie."

"There's really no need to." Yami changed the song, he was already bored with it. He chose the Four Seasons instead and let it play in the background as filler. "How bad are his fingers and toes? Any blisters? What colour?"

"I am… so, blown away right now."

Yami rolled his head, stretching out his stiff neck and thinking about that coffee again. "What do you mean? Did you find other injuries?"

"No, I mean - you- classical music? I never would have thought..." Yugi gagged. "Oh, no the smell."

Yami tried, but failed to stifle a laugh at Yugi's melodrama. It was cruel, but struck him as hilarious. After a waiting to hear if Yugi would recover, he finally had to ask, "Are you going to be okay? Did he soil himself?"

"No." Another dry-heave. "Its his feet. Took off his boots … I'm dying. Oh, its so sour."

Yami chuckled. "I take it back, I'm glad I'm not with you."

"You were thinking that?"

Yami's mouth pulled into a line. He crinkled his nose. Had he not said that aloud? He chose to play it off. "Pfft, not any more. I don't do well around bad smells either."

"Huh…"

"What?"

"He's got other injuries… It is worse than I thought. Way worse. He must have been hurt during the crash-"

The morning alarm went off. They both ignored it.

"Yami…" Yugi said it softly, barely audible above the music. Yami turned it off. "I already know what you are going to say but I need to put him in cryo. He needs a real doctor, someone that can help him. This isn't a med-bay. I only have access to a basic first aid kit. And…"

Yugi's voice was overtaken by sorrow. It quivered and Yugi gave up the effort of trying to continue.

Yami sighed, rising out of his chair to pour the coffee now that the kettle clicked off. "You made me a promise Yugi."

He tried to give Yugi time, but no answer was forthcoming. "If you put him into cryo you will be draining the majority of the power you have left. We still don't know when help will actually arrive. Both of you could end up dying instead of one. You promised me, that when then time came, you would put yourself first-"

"- You don't…" Yugi choked on his words. Yami offered him the respect of staying silent and Yugi took the time to catch his breath. "You don't understand…"

"I think I understand enough." He stirred his coffee and returned with it to his desk. "He was a friend, and you don't want to watch him die. No one should have to go through that, but you nearly killed yourself bringing him back to the lab. You've done all you can do. It's not your fault. You can't hold yourself responsible-"

"No!" Again Yugi was struggling to talk and breathe at the same time. It did not quite sound like he was crying, but – he was on the edge of what his emotions and tired state could handle.

"Take your time. I'm listening."

"I… I…"

"Breathe."

Yugi drew a long breath and slowly released it.

"Again."

He compiled, and already his voice started to level out. "Do you… how much do you know about anthropology? Specifically, what an anthropologist does?"

Yami's face heated. "Um… Nothing, if I'm honest. I always thought it had something to do with dinosaurs but I know that's wrong now."

"It's the study of people, past and present." Yugi huffed and swallowed whatever emotion ailed him. "Remember, when I told you about my PhD? That I'm doing research on spaceflight communities? Well, an anthropologists' main tool is 'participant-observation'" -his voice cracked - "put emphasis on the 'participant' part…"

Yami took a sip of his coffee and waited while Yugi took a series of slow breaths. "Honda and I grew up together, but I… I went into cryo and he… he didn't. It might be hard to understand but everyone on the Aralia was my friend. I knew all of them."

"I see."

"They were all asked to keep recordings, a weekly blog or journal entry that I could read and use for my thesis when I woke up. Seeing Honda like this... its hard. He's old now… And, assuming everything went well between him and Miho, Honda could have kids. And those kids could have kids! It's insane... I knew, going in, that this would be the outcome but – seeing it… It was so easy at the start, to acknowledge this reality. Everyone dies – we all know that. Loosely, its there in the back of our minds; but to see it, to stare it in the face like this… For me it feels like a week ago, for Honda a lifetime. I finally understand my-"

The radio went silent and Yami feared the worst. "Yugi?! Yugi, did you loose power?"

"No, no, I'm still here."

Yami breathed a sigh of relief but Yugi still seemed to be lost in thought. After an extended pause Yami hummed into the silence, trying to put words together. The sound was enough to pull Yugi back into focus.

"I'm sorry. I was just… My dad. I can't imagine how I'll react to seeing him." Yugi laughed dryly and it mixed with a sob. "I'll have to start calling him 'grandpa' or people are going to look at us funny."

Yami tried to smile, but it was a wasted effort since Yugi could not see him anyways. "I wish I knew what to say, but honestly, you were right; I didn't understand. And I still don't. I thought the two of you were close?"

"We are but - my research..." He took a breath. "We want to use it to ban mandatory interstellar postings. It's how I got the funding and why everyone joined the Aralia. There have been so many cases documenting how interstellar travel ruins families, but the counter legislation keeps citing the need for a 'proper' scientific study. Honda's dad was military, his mother as well. A lot of the military kids grew up together simply because our families were so broken. My mom was military…"

Yami could immediately sense the pain.

"She was posted when I was 2. When she came back I was already 17. We were now only 4 years apart in age. It was so weird. Whatever she expected to find when she returned, it wasn't me. Things might have worked out between her and my dad if I wasn't around, but - she left, and dad kept me. For her, only a few months had past, yet the family she left behind was gone..."

Yami closed his eyes, imagining the homecoming and how the scenario might have played out. "Thank you, Yugi."

"Huh?"

"For helping me understand." Yami hugged himself, drawing himself closer to the desk. "I have a new plan now, so - put Honda in cryo. I will help you, however I can, to save everyone on the Aralia."

Yugi gave a soft chortle. "I'm sorry I couldn't keep the promise."

Yami snorted. "You're not off the hook yet Mutou, I can hear the exhaustion in your voice. Move Honda into cryo and get some rest. I'll check in on the beacon and see if anyone is responding to the distress signal while you sleep."

"Thank you."

"Of course, Yugi." He slid back from the desk but did not get very far.

"Wait! Yami? Are you still there?"

"Yeah, I'm here."

"Can you… play that song? The classical one? It'd be nice to have something to listen to."

Yami smiled softly. "Any other requests? I have a library full of old songs."

"No, some other time. I used to always listen to audio books in bed but I think whatever you had on will work." Yugi's voice turned mischievous, "Unless you want to read to me?"

"I'm not reading you a bed time story."

"Aww, why not? Do you sing?"

"Go to bed Yugi."

He chuckled to himself. "Well, I tried. Good night Yami."

"Good night Yugi."


End file.
